I train like a madman but my bodyshape just won’t change. Anyone out there who knows what I’m talking about? No matter if hard or softgainer, there’s always someone among us who thinks they do everything right but they won’t gain any muscle. Here, I have compiled some tips that have worked well for me.
Too much is just too much.
Endless training often results in being more contra-productive because after a while, you keep losing weight, no matter how confidently you believe to become stronger. Your body is only able to regenerate the musculature to a certain degree. It’s recommended to train until you reach the positive “muscular failure” meaning until you cannot do that certain exercise smoothly. If you pump too much, your body and your immune system will only weaken. This often leads to diseases or even nerve damage! Everybody is idiosyncratic, so the point of positive muscular failure will be different for everyone but you should at least know for yourself when it’s enough.
Wrong Training
Maybe you actually don’t trust yourself to endure more stress and therefore you don’t do enough? If you don’t fully stimulate your muscles then there’s no need for them to grow. It’s probably time to add some extra 5 kg on your weights. Is that still no challenge? Put on more 5kg and continue. You’ll quickly notice that you’ll actually become even stronger than what you have expected.
Wrong Exercises
It’s often the case that one practices the “wrong” movements which don’t challenge the muscles. Experiment here and there to find out which exercises work them up good.
Wrong Diet
If you deprive your body of the needed nutrients, it won’t have any source material to build something up! A balanced diet is essential. Just drinking gallons of protein shakes won’t do. If you don’t really know anything about the right diet then you just need to find someone who has the knowledge and get some advice.
Recovery Time
Your body needs time to rest and restore itself. After a great and tiring workout, your muscles deserve a break before you strain them again. Otherwise, you could actually damage them. Keep in mind that it’s all about quality, not about the quantity of training sessions.
Too much Cardio
After 30-45 minutes of cardio, your body won’t only burn fat but also start to build down your muscles! Don’t spend too much time on the treadmill only, except you plan to run a marathon. Just compare a sprinter with endurance runners. One of them is quite bulky and the other one’s more sinewy like a wild cat. Some want to run short distances as fast as a racket, while others want to run as long as possible. Keep that in mind!
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